leda and the swan

Yeats uses Greek mythology in "Leda and the Swan" to describe the sexual nature of the poem. Yeats uses many poetic elements and techniques to describe the sexuality of the poem. He uses elements such as language and the structure of the poem itself to portray to his readers a very vivid picture of the sensual elements of this poem. Through structure and language Yeats is able to paint a powerful sexual image to his readers without directly giving it meaning of the poem. This image Yeats is portraying is important because it helps readers to look beyond the surface and get the deeper more erotic meaning of "Leda and the Swan."